Wellington, Oct 11: Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert will return to New Zealand’s ODI setup, while Rachin Ravindra has been included after recovering from a shoulder injury for the upcoming five-match series against India, beginning November 4.
The selectors have announced a split squad, with several Test specialists set to leave after the first three matches to prepare for the two-Test series against India, which begins at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 19.
White-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the extended squad, with only six players — Santner, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Will Young and Blair Tickner — named for all five matches.
Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ravindra and Nathan Smith will feature in the opening three ODIs, starting at Eden Park in Auckland. They will then withdraw from the squad to focus on red-ball preparations.
Seven players — Allen, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher, Ferguson, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly and Seifert — will join the team for the final two matches.
Allen and Ferguson last played an ODI in 2023, with Ferguson’s most recent appearance coming in the World Cup semi-final against India in Mumbai. Seifert last featured in the format during New Zealand’s home series against Pakistan around 18 months ago.
New Zealand will look to build on their landmark 2-1 ODI series victory in India in January, their first bilateral ODI series triumph on Indian soil.
Head coach Rob Walter said the series would provide valuable preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. (PTI)